Burning in the Night
by Life's A Puzzle
Summary: Was it an accident? Or something more? He almost burned in that house. He almost died. Why? What was it all for? Who would want to hurt him? Kill him? Tear him apart. Piece. By. Piece. There's so much more to him than Marco knows. Because Ace keeps secrets. And what Ace doesn't want you to know, you won't find out. You can't find out.
1. Devoured by Fire

_**Yo! Just got my account a few minutes ago. Well, my second account. This one is solely for my MarcoxAce obsession. I think... Well, that's the plan, anyway. So... I hope you like MarcoxAce, because you're gonna be getting a helluva lot of it from me. I am open to advice, but no haters and flamers please.**_

_**This is a short chapter. The next ones are going to be longer (probably), but I'm not sure when they're gonna be up, 'cuz school takes up a lotta my time, and during the week I live in a dorm, where I can't really write, because three other girls live with me and it's hard to concentrate with so many other people 'round. Anyway, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I-I... *takes deep breath* I own nothing! There. Said it.**_

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The building burned, lighting up the night sky for miles around. Ace watched, mesmerized, as his house, as every single thing around him was swallowed up by the flames. The tongues licked at every single piece of wood and fabric they could find.

"Ace!"

Someone was shouting his name. Ace didn't look. He couldn't turn away. He could only watch the fire devour his home.

"Ace!"

It was that voice again. Closer this time, though. Ace kept staring at the flames that were growing with each second that passed.

"Ace!"

Someone grabbed his shoulder. Ace jerked it away from the newcomer's grip, before turning to look at him with wide eyes.

"Get up, yoi! We have to get out of here," the blonde yelled.

But Ace was numb. He couldn't move. Everything was falling apart. The part of the kitchen he could see was charred. Photographs of his family, of Luffy, _Sabo_, were gone, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

But in its own way, the fire was beautiful. The shades of orange and yellow blended together perfectly, creating an alluring mix that threatened to draw a person in and consume them.

The blonde next to him grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Ace immediately began coughing as smoke entered his lungs. The blonde started making his way out of the house with Ace in tow. He jumped back as a burning beam crashed to the floor right before the him, blocking the path to the door.

"Shit!" he cursed. The man turned to go back, looking for a window. Once he located one within a reasonable distance of where they were standing he dragged Ace over to it. The blonde took off his shirt, wrapped the cloth around his arm, and tried opening the window. No use. It was stuck. He quickly turned to look for something he could use to smash the window open with. His eyes landed on a nearby chair that was still mostly intact. Without thinking, he grabbed it with both hands, lifted it, and threw it into the window. The glass shattered, and fresh air came rushing through. The blonde forced Ace to go through the broken window first, before following after him. He grit his teeth as he felt a ragged piece of glass slide through his forearm, creating a deep wound that would most likely scar.

They were lucky that they had been on the lowest floor of the building. The window wasn't that high from the ground, and he could jump down onto the grass without risking further injury. Ace was below him, not looking as if he was going to move anytime soon, so the blonde landed off to the side. He got up from his crouch, grabbed Ace's arm again, and pulled the younger boy as far away from the inferno as he could. Ace stumbled and fell behind him. He didn't get up anymore. The blonde crouched down net to him.

"Marco..." A strangled whimper made its way through Ace's throat.

"Shhh, Ace. It's okay now. I'm here. It's alright," the blonde responded. They could hear sirens blazing in the distance. "You're alright. It's fine," he repeated, trying to comfort his friend.

The younger boy sat up and turned around to look at his house. They both flinched as the structure collapsed. The neighbors were all gathered around, looking at the scene before them with horror.

Eventually, the fire truck came, and the firemen started to put out the fire. After them came the ambulance. The paramedics ran over to where he and Ace were sitting on the grass, coughing loudly. They tried to pull them away to the ambulance to administer treatment, but both men refused. Realizing that neither of them were planning on moving away from the spot anytime soon, one of the paramedics brought a first aid kit over to where they were. Ace's wounds, consisting of second degree burns, were first to be taken care of. After him came Marco, whose entire left side was soaked with blood and had minor burns all over his chest and arms.

Marco winced as the curved needle delved into his arm. The cut was so deep he needed stitches. He glanced at Ace, who still looked as if he was in a daze, and was staring openly at the now black house.

Once the paramedics had finished treating his injuries, he took out his phone and slid his finger over the screen to unlock it. He opened his message inbox and read through the first few messages. After seeing that they each contained more or less the same questions asking about what happened and if everything was alright, he started deleting them. When he was finished with that, he dialed his father's phone number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Oyaji. It's me," he answered.

"Marco? Are you and Ace alright? The fire's all over the news! What happened?!"

"You're guess is as good as mine, yoi. We're fine, though Ace is a little out of it," he replied, sweeping his eyes over the still form of his best friend.

"No wonder. Poor kid just saw his house burn down."

"Yeah..." He saw a police officer coming his way. "I'll call you back later, Oyaji."

"Sure Marco." He ended the call and put his phone away. It was a miracle it had survived the fire.

"I'm Sergeant Smoker. Can you please state your name?"

"I'm Marco Phoenix, a friend of Ace's." He gestured to the boy sitting on the grass beside him, still looking at the burned structure in disbelief. The officer looked at him with pity, then returned his gaze to Marco.

"Can you explain what happened here?"

"I have no idea, yoi. A few days ago, Ace called to invite me over to watch a soccer game, but when I got here a few minutes ago, the house was in flames. The neighbors were just standing there, but I couldn't find Ace anywhere so I went inside. I got the both of us out of there, and... well...," he broke off. The policeman nodded in understanding.

"So then I take it you don't know what might have caused the fire?"

"No. Not a clue. Ace had a fireplace in the house, though. Maybe the carpet caught fire or something."

"Maybe", Smoker said, but he didn't look convinced. "I'd like the two of you to come by the police station tomorrow so we can take your statements."

"Sure," Marco answered. "Now if you'll excuse me." Smoker nodded again and walked away. Once Marco got the crowd of people around them to disperse, he crouched down next to Ace and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, yoi. Let's get you out of here." Ace turned to face him with tears in his eyes.

"But what about Luffy? What'll happen when he comes back only to find this? I-I can't. I have t-to stay." Ace's breathing was growing more and more frenzied with each second that passed. Each breath he took was slow and shallow. He started hyperventilating.

"Ace? Ace! You need to calm down, yoi. It's going to be alright. Just calm down. Take deep breaths." Ace's eyesight was becoming cloudy, and his mind was shutting down, making it harder for him to focus.

Marco started shaking his shoulder.

"Ace! Concentrate on what I'm saying. Breath, yoi! Deep breaths." Ace listened to his friend, and gradually slowed his breathing. As his eyesight returned to him, he saw Marco sitting in front of him with both of his hands on his shoulder. Blood was seeping through the bandages on his arm. _What? When did he-_

"There you go. That's it, yoi. Just breathe like that. Don't worry. I'll call Luffy and tell him what happened. You can stay at my place for a while." Ace nodded, then moved to stand up. Marco followed.

"W-What happened to your arm?" he asked.

"Nothing. Don't take any notice of it. Now come on. I'll call a taxi. I don't think either of us are in any state to drive right now." He smiled at his friend.

Ace feebly smiled back. It would be okay. It.. it _had_ to be okay. Because Marco was here. Marco was here, and he would fix everything. "Yeah... It'll all be fine." His body lurched forward, as he felt a wave of sleepiness overcome him. He could faintly hear Marco sigh, and felt steady hands slip around his waist, before he lost consciousness.

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**_Soo... I would appreciate it if you reviewed and told me your thoughts, and maybe some guesses as to what happened. And remember- I'm always open to advice._**


	2. It's Because of Me

_**Yo! I got the second chapter up. Hooray for me! Hope you enjoy :D**_

_**Guest: Mine, too ^^ I really wish there were more stories about the two of them...**_

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When Ace woke up, he was lying on a bed. An unfamiliar bed. In an unfamiliar room. In a panic, he sat up in the bed, only for someone to put their hand on his chest and force him down again. He turned his head to see who the person was.

Relief washed over him at the sight of Marco, looking a little worse for wear, but still calm as ever.

"Don't move around so much. You're hurt, yoi," his friend said. Ace blinked at Marco wearily, before moving his eyes to look at the bandages covering most of his body. He looked up again.

"You're hurt, too. And you're moving around," he replied, annoyed.

"I heal fast." _**Suuure you do**_**. **Ace looked around the room. This wasn't the first time he had been in the blonde's house, but it was the first time he had seen his friend's bedroom. The walls and ceiling were painted a tropical blue, there was a carpet on the floor that had the color of the sand on a beach. There were two big windows on either side of the room, and the furniture was a very light shade of beige.

"What happened to your arm, anyway?" Ace asked out of curiosity. Marco smiled weakly.

"I cut it on a piece of glass when I was going through the window yesterday." Ace looked away, wracked by guilt. It was his fault Marco got hurt. All his fault. _**You'll never amount to anything, Ace.**_

"Wait... yesterday? What time is it?" He asked. Marco glanced at a clock hanging on a nearby wall.

"Almost 10 AM." Ace's eyes widened in shock.

"I was supposed to pick Luffy up at the airport an hour ago!" He panicked. His poor little brother. He didn't know anything. And Ace didn't know how he would break it to him that their home was gone. _**And whose fault is that?**_

"Calm down, yoi. I called him yesterday after I got here, and asked him if he could catch another plane at a later time, hopefully tomorrow." _**Oh thank **__God__**...Luffy can't be here now... **_"You need to get your crap together before he gets here, though. You don't look so good."

"No shit. My house just burned down, asshole," Ace retorted.

"At least you're not as out of it as you were yesterday. That's good." Marco smiled in relief.

"I figured I should stop sulking and find something better to do." _**Or put on a mask in front of you so that you can't see how torn up I really am.**_"Being depressed won't get me anywhere, and it'll get me there fast." He cracked a smile. Marco snorted.

"Glad to see you're feeling better. Now, what do you want for breakfast?" Ace gasped dramatically.

"M-Marco... you can cook?!" He exclaimed. The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Just go take a shower. Mind your injuries, though. And make sure you're downstairs in half an hour, or I'll eat your food."

"Yes, mom." The blonde glared at him playfully and left the room.

Once the door closed shut, Ace let the smile drop away from his face. He slowly got up from the bed, wincing as he aggravated his wounds. He stood up unsteadily, trying to ignore the burning pain wracking his body, and looked around the room. His eyes landed on a towel and some clothes._**Marco must've left them...**_

Keeping one hand slightly in front of him in case he fell, he slowly made his way over to the desk on which they lay. Ace picked them up, and went to the bathroom.

Once there, he put the towel and clothes down on a counter, next to a roll of plastic wrap, what looked like burn ointment, and some bandages, and slipped out of his shirt. He stared at the soiled bandages for a bit, before moving to unwrap them. Once the last of them dropped to the floor, Ace was left looking at bruised and blister-covered skin. He bit his lip. _**Those are going to scar... **_

He took off the rest of his clothes, before grabbing the roll of plastic wrap, and looking at it in confusion.

"Marco!" He yelled.

"Yeah?" Ace's eyes landed on the door. He could hear footsteps approaching.

"What's the plastic wrap for?" He asked. If Marco put it there, then it was meant to be used for something. He just didn't know what. Yet...

"You're supposed to wrap that around the burns so they don't get wet when you take your shower." Ace raised his eyebrows, before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist.

"I feel kinda stupid asking this, but... can you help me? I can't reach that far." _**Well, I could if I wanted the blisters in my arms to pop from strain. Yeah... no. **_

"Sure. Is it alright if I come in now?" His friend asked.

"Yeah."_**Pleasepleasepleasedon'tnoticethebruises!**_The doorknob turned, and the door opened. Marco entered the bathroom. His gaze swept over the battered body of his best friend, before landing on a very big, dark purple mark over his ribs.

"Ace...," he started, staring at his friend's chest with horror apparent on his face. He turned his head to look into Ace's eyes.

"Hm?" Ace asked, avoiding eye contact. Marco took a few steps forwards, grabbed Ace's chin with his index finger and thumb, pulling his face up, and forced their gazes to meet..

"You promised me you would stop getting into fights," he said in a low voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I fell down the sta-," Ace started, but was cut off by his friend.

"Damn it, Ace! Who do you think you're talking to? You can't lie to me! How did you get these?!" He demanded. Ace's temper flared.

"It's none of your fucking business what I do! Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?!" He snapped.

"How the fuck am I supposed to leave you alone when you keep acting like a spoiled kid?!" Ace froze for a second, before turning away from the blonde to hide the hurt on his face, and handing him the roll of plastic wrap.

_**Is that all I am in your eyes? A kid?**_

* * *

Marco was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, when the doorbell rang. He ignored it. It rang again. And again. And again, for longer this time. He scowled and walked up to the door, before unlocking and opening it to let his guest in.

"Marco, buddy! So good to see you!" Thatch. _Of course _it had to be Thatch. "How are you doing? Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you? Oh, stupid question! Of course you're hurt! But not too badly, I hope? Where's Ace? Is he alright? I'm guessing he's in worse shape then you. Can I see him? Sho-" A glare from Marco effectively shut him up.

"Ace is taking a shower. He'll be joining us in a few minutes. Want breakfast?" Thatch had opened his mouth again, when Marco growled, " _Yes_, I can cook." He stepped aside so that his friend could walk into the living room, before he closed and locked the door once more. When he looked back, Thatch was already sitting on the couch, with his shoes off and his feet propped up on the coffee table, looking at the TV he had just turned on. Marco decided to ignore his behavior, and instead went back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

The bacon was sizzling in the frying pan. Marco took three plates out of the cupboard, grabbed the pan, and divided the bacon up between the three of them. Next, he grabbed a few eggs, broke the shells, and put them in the frying pan. He put the bread in the toaster and waited. A few minutes later, the meal was ready. He took all three plates, balancing them in his hands, and made his way to the living room.

Ace was already there, talking animatedly with Thatch about a rock band that was supposed to be coming to the city in a week or so.

"-got three tickets to their concert. You and Marco are coming with me, whether you like it or not." The plates clattering against the coffee table directed their attention to Marco, who was already on his way back to the kitchen to get the silverware, glasses, and a carton of orange juice. When he came back once more, both of his friends were looking at him in silence.

Ace had wrapped bandages around his arms and legs, and Marco could detect the faint smell of ointment in the air, but he doubted Ace had bandaged his torso. He was wearing one of Marco's smaller button up shirts, and knee-length shorts. He could feel Ace's gaze on him as he sat down on the floor, opposite of him and Thatch. They ate in silence.

* * *

"I think I'll go get some more rest. I don't want my narcolepsy to kick in when I go pick Luffy up tomorrow," Ace laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure. I guess Marco and I'll just... talk," Thatch replied, while Marco nodded his head once in acknowledgement.

"Yeah. It was great seeing you Thatch." He smiled.

"You too," his friend replied, with a smile of his own spreading across his face.

Ace left the room. Once he was gone, Thatch turned to look at Marco with the most serious expression Marco had ever seen on his face.

"We need to talk about Ace." Marco raised an eyebrow.

"Can you be at least a little bit more specific?" Thatch was quiet for a moment, chewing on his lip, as if debating whether or not he should say anything.

"Go on. Once you start talking, don't stop just like that. What is it?" Marco urged.

"... I saw him hanging around with Teach's gang a few times." Marco choked on the juice he was drinking.

"You what?!" He nearly shouted.

"Keep your voice down, will ya? I don't want him to hear us," his friend replied.

"What the hell was he doing around them, though? Ace is smarter than that, doesn't he know that they're bad news?" Thatch shook his head in sadness.

"I have no idea why he'd be hanging around with them. In fact, I doubt that his house burning down was an accident. Have you noticed anything weird about him recently?" He inquired.

"... I think he's been fighting again, yoi. I saw the bruises covering his body." Thatch nodded his head in understanding.

"Underground boxing?" Marco shook his head. He could see the relief on Thatch's face.

"I don't think so. He promised me that it would stop. I don't think he would break a promise like that." Thatch sighed.

"Try talking to him when he wakes up, okay? Just be delicate." Marco nodded his head absently. Suddenly, he smacked his palm against his forehead.

"Shit! We were supposed to go to the police station today!" Thatch looked at him oddly.

"It's not like you to forget something that important. Are you sure you're alright, Marco?" He asked, worry lacing his voice.

"Oh, for Oda's sake, Thatch! I'm fine, yoi!" Marco yelled.

"Hey, now. Calm down. I was just making sure. Why not try calling he police and asking them if you could come some other time? I'm sure they'll understand," Thatch said, trying to cheer him up.

"Hopefully... And there's still that whole thing with the house insura-" The phone ringing cut Marco off. He stood up, and turned to look in the direction where the sound was coming from.

"...If you aren't going to pick that up, then I will," Thatch said. Muttering under his breath, Marco made his way to the phone.

"Yeah?" He asked, putting the receiver to his ear.

"Marco Phoenix?" Came a voice from the other end of the line. Marco scrunched his eyebrows. He knew that voice...

"That's me. How can I help you, yoi?"

"It's Sergeant Smoker. We need to talk. It's about the fire." Marco's eyebrow traveled up his forehead.

"Do you know anything yet?" He inquired. Smoker didn't answer him for a few seconds.

"It was arson. It seems like someone was trying to burn down the house with Portgas inside."

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_**(Not so) Unexpected turn of events! Short chapter is short... sorry... At least it's still over 2,000 words long :D**_


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